For many young Filipinos, the greatest dream we have learned to have is leaving.
The elusive, catch-all “abroad” is key to better education, jobs, pay, and lives. The International Development Programme reports that the number of Filipinos studying overseas increases by 8-10% yearly, with about 53,000 Filipinos studying abroad as of late last year.
But what if you could get a world-class education from one of the top universities in the US without leaving the country?
Philippine schools are leveraging collaborations with international universities to keep global education within their students’ reach. The University of the Philippines has long been in partnership with Japan’s Nagoya University; as well as Ateneo De Manila University’s John Gokongwei School of Management and Fordham University’s Gabelli School of Business.
Dean Jagdeep Dasel of the E.T. Yuchengco School of Business at Mapúa University understands students’ widespread desire to study abroad, having made the same choice himself. “We have always idolized these first-world countries and (seen them) as places to learn, and I think Filipinos should have the same opportunity,” the Dean tells The Philippine STAR.
Mapúa University recently launched a joint initiative with Arizona State University (ASU) to give Filipino students access to world-class education in business and health sciences.
Dasel describes most university partnerships as “touch and go,” so Mapúa was deliberate in creating a more concrete, long-term relationship. The underlying objective is to provide affordable, quality education, with emphasis on both students and the development of teachers.
“ASU is the number one university in innovation in the US, so we are learning from the best,” says Dasel. Their teachers can directly collaborate with ASU faculty, enhancing the former’s teaching and research.
Mapúa students also collaborate with students and faculty from ASU and other international universities, as Mapúa is a member of the ASU-Cintana Alliance. This is a global network of innovative universities in the US, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America working together to scale high-quality academic programs.
International courses are delivered through the Global Classroom, a state-of-the-art facility that Mapúa business student Mirai Miyakawa compares to classrooms abroad. Students are seated in office chairs with spacious desks, facing giant screens where they get to converse remotely with their collaborators, no matter where they are in the world. Miyakawa mentions that she loves the central microphone, which picks up the students’ voices without needing to be passed around.
“Having classes (at the Global Classroom) is very motivational for us because it shows that Mapúa provides comfort for their students,” Miyakawa says.
Aside from the facilities, the Global Classroom is innovative because of what is discussed inside: Mapúa and its different partner schools carefully select the best learning topics that students from both universities can participate in.
Dasel adds that the E.T. Yuchengco School of Business “adapts and adopts” the curricula of its partner schools. Most topics are localized for Filipino students while modules on technology and innovation are fully embraced. “We’re a hundred-year-old university with a tried-and-proven pedagogy. We get asked, “Why do you need to partner?” But if we want to see further, we have to stand on the shoulders of giants.”
The most rewarding part of being in a groundbreaking program, according to Miyakawa, is building a cross-culture network and learning from real-world industry scenarios with subject matter experts. Students also get to spend their final year in Arizona to gain firsthand global exposure, which Miyakawa, as a third-year student, is excited about. She says she chose to study at Mapúa because it “has affordable tuition despite all the experiences they offer.”
Students who recently graduated often share their experiences with Dasel, saying how their placements abroad have made them more confident. Most land good jobs even before finishing their degrees.
“Being able to attend these international courses has given us the opportunity to gain global exposure from our peers, which is valuable in today’s job market,” says Miyakawa. “Mapúa has given us the chance to get the quality education we deserve.”